A Mile of Make-Believe
A History of the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade
Description
“A Mile of Make-Believe offers not only a highly readable and rewarding account of Santa Claus parades but a great many lessons that will help reshape the way in which scholars explore the history of consumerism. ” – Michael Dawson, St. Thomas University
A Mile of Make-Believe examines the unique history of the Santa Claus parade in Canada. This volume focuses on the Eaton’s-sponsored parades that occurred in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary, and Edmonton. Steve Penfold’s considerable analytical skills have produced a work that is simultaneously a cultural history, history of business, and commentary on consumerism. Professional historians and the general public alike would be remiss if this wasn’t on their holiday wish list.
Reviews
Steve Penfold has "crafted a smart and funny account of a lost piece of Canadiana. "
- Holly Doan
"[Steve Penfold] situates [the Santa Claus Parade] within North American parade culture and its use of public space, a growing twentieth-century consumer culture and the increasing centrality of Santa Claus in its Christmas narrative as well as the rise of the department store that dominated the retail landscape. "
- Ross Fair, Ryerson University
"A Mile Of Make Believe recounts with warmth and nostalgia the Christmas extravaganza sponsored by a family-owned corporation once the largest retailer in the country. This is not a dry municipal history; Eaton’s in its heyday sponsored Santa parades from Edmonton to Montréal. Author Steve Penfold, an associate professor at the University of Toronto, has crafted a smart and funny account of a lost piece of Canadiana. "
- Holly Doan
‘This book should find its way down our chimneys as an excellent example of going beneath the surface to uncover the deeper structure of our collective past. ’
- Len Kuffert